Campus News
August 9th, 2022
GC announces workforce training funds
college has $180k in scholarships this year to train local workers
Best practices in workforce training stress accessibility, affordability, and job availability.
Julie Yoder, dean of Continuing Education & Workforce Development, said Garrett College's programs check all of those boxes. The affordability box includes $180,000 in available workforce training funding from federal, state, county and Garrett College Foundation funds.
"These funds all cover short-term training leading to nationally recognized credentials in high-demand occupations," said Yoder, noting career fields include truck driving, diesel mechanics, machining, welding, and phlebotomy, as well as numerous other fields.
"Recent high school graduates can leverage the Garrett County Scholarship Program to fund workforce programming," added Yoder. "The Maryland Higher Education Commission Sequence Scholarships also provide workforce training funds, and we are continuing to receive federal COVID funding passed through the state to support workforce training."
Yoder also highlighted the annual funding provided by the Garrett College Foundation.
"The Foundation support that the College receives from individual donors and community organizations recognizes the value of our workforce programs," said Yoder.
Yoder said potential workforce training students, including those already employed, don't have to decipher the specifics of which scholarships they may be eligible to access.
"Our staff can work with students to determine what funding they're eligible to receive and how to apply for it," said Yoder. She said individuals should contact Kurt Lear, director of workforce development, by phone (301.387.3087) or email (kurt.lear@garrettcollege.edu) for more information on programs, and to obtain a scholarship application.
While much of the most recent COVID funding has been identified to cover scholarships, Yoder said earlier COVID monies allowed Garrett College to acquire the newest technology used to support workforce training.
"We've leveraged a lot of that funding to enhance many of our training programs, including augmented welding and HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] simulations," said Yoder.
